Posted 12:25 am Friday, November 20, 2009
Arp Tigers, Jefferson Meet Again Today
By SHANE STARK
Staff Writer
TATUM -- Arp and Jefferson played scoreless ball for about 42 minutes of their playoff meeting last season.
Staff Writer
TATUM -- Arp and Jefferson played scoreless ball for about 42 minutes of their playoff meeting last season.
The other six minutes were different.
Arp, which was unbeaten and ranked in the top five statewide, scored three touchdowns in the last six minutes of the second quarter. That was enough to give the Tigers a 21-7 victory against the three-win and upset-minded Bulldogs at Tatum High School's Eagle Stadium.
Arp, which was unbeaten and ranked in the top five statewide, scored three touchdowns in the last six minutes of the second quarter. That was enough to give the Tigers a 21-7 victory against the three-win and upset-minded Bulldogs at Tatum High School's Eagle Stadium.
Tonight, Arp will once again be perfect through 11 games and rated in the top five -- this time, at the very top. Meanwhile, Jefferson (6-5) will once again fill the underdog role when the teams collide in a Class 2A Division I regional playoff at Eagle Stadium.
The matchup features a pair of teams with overwhelming athletes, including Arp's blue chip running back/defensive back LaVocheya Cooper and Jefferson's trio of NCAA Division I Bowl Subdivision recruits. That alone makes the teams similar on paper, much like last season's game indicated for 42 minutes.
"We're a lot alike," Arp head coach Dale Irwin said. "They're very athletic and can run really well."
The winner advances to the state quarterfinals to play either Kirbyville (9-2) or Anahuac (9-2), who meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Dayton.
The Tigers, eliminated in the quarterfinals by Kirbyville last year, opened the postseason with one of their most impressive performances of 2009. They throttled Franklin from beginning to end, allowing only 102 total yards in a 37-0 shutout victory.
Cooper, an Oklahoma State pledge, rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Kyle Copeland accounted for three rushing touchdowns. But the overall team play was what more than pleased Irwin, who considers it among their best of the year defensively.
"It's a big relief," he said. "You want kids to come out the first game and play well and aggressive."
The Bulldogs, who were facing a nine-win district champion, jumped out to a 20-0 advantage in their postseason opener. They held on for a 27-13 victory, as 6-4 quarterback Clarence Lee -- Houston pledge at defensive end -- finished with 108 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
"They have a tremendous athlete at quarterback," Irwin said. "We are going to have to make sure we contain him. If we don't, he will run up and down the field. And we have to keep an eye on their running back (Destin Moseley); he's pretty good also."
Jefferson's other Bowl Subdivision recruits are offensive lineman/defensive lineman Trevor Murphy (Colorado State) and Moseley (Kansas State).
In other playoff games featuring East Texas schools today: Marshall (8-2) meets Corsicana (6-5) in 4A Division II in Tyler; Quinlan Ford (4-6) takes on Pittsburg (9-1) in 3A Division II in Royse City; Winnsboro (7-4) faces Godley (11-0) in 2A Division I in Midlothian; Daingerfield (10-1) squares off with Garrison (9-2) in 2A Division II in Whitehouse; Hawkins (6-4) plays Joaquin (9-2) in 1A Division I in Elysian Fields; and Simms Bowie (6-4) meets Cayuga (9-1) in 1A Division II in Longview.
